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Reviews
An Affair to Remember (1957)
Uneven and ridiculous movie with a few redeeming moments
An Affair to Remember is an uneven mess. While the movie had many redeeming moments, there were several areas that really could have used improvement. Many commenters espouse the merits of the first half of the movie, but I find the love affair aboard the boat forced and lacking chemistry. Not until the visit to his grandmother's house did the first half take flight. In addition, there were many moments where the director's intentions seemed incomprehensible. When they kept bumping into each other, was it supposed to be comedy? Was Cary Grant purposefully orchestrating the accidental meetings? Did she fall for him immediately and why? Why were the other cruise passengers boors beyond reality or comedy?
Deborah Kerr's character seemed to fall between two movie archetypes - the younger woman who falls for Cary Grant and the older, seasoned woman who rebuffs his advances at every turn. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me and I didn't buy it. I also didn't believe his character suddenly fell for her. Maybe their affair started out as a lark for both of them, but the director failed to convey the lightness of spirit that would accompany the beginning of a fling or love-at-first-sight. For him it mostly seemed out of boredom and routine but we never understand why or when his opinion changed.
A questionable moment that occurs at the crux of the movie was when the grandmother chooses her by sight as the perfect woman for Nicolo. Was it the ravings of a senile old woman that came true because of Nicolo's admiration for his Grandma (most realistic scenario)? Or, as I believe, was the audience expected to adore the grandmother and accept her opinion as movie truth? Either way, the entire scene at the grandmother's villa was asking for the MST3K treatment, from the prognostication, to the long awkward moments, to the creepy eyes in the overlong piano scene. Maybe because of the scene's campiness and length, the movie's best moment comes out of nowhere and clobbers the audience with truth and melancholy. Unlike the rest of the movie, this one moment has become even more poignant over time as families live further apart and time together is fleeting.
While the first half would have played better light and funny, it may have been restrained in order to mesh with a dark second half. This is of course where the plot becomes completely unbelievable and Deborah Kerr's motivation makes no sense. Instead of telling the love of her life what happened, she hides in shame despite knowing it will crush him. On top of that, her previous boyfriend is basically a saint with no hard feelings whatsoever and the remarkable ability to divine the hidden meaning in every gesture she does. Her boyfriend comes off better than any of the other characters.
And of course in the second half, we have two orphan singing scenes which beg to be skipped. Although if you skip them you'll miss the wonderful moment where all the white kids get singing solos and the two black kids get to do a terrible soft shoe. I think the scene wouldn't have been so awkward had the kids actually been *good* at dancing.
In the end, he discovers why she was unable to meet him in a somewhat clever way. Unfortunately, the path to get to the scene is so completely unbelievable that the twist is only worthy of a smirk.
Even with all that's wrong with it - the pacing, the plot, the characters' motivations - I'm glad I watched this movie. It's a time capsule - as someone else said "I now know why the 50s invented the 60s". Even the scenes that are ridiculous are enjoyable in their ridiculousness. The overall theme of getting older and life's fragility is the movie's strong suit and it's the one that will stick with me when I remember it in the future.
Other notes:
- This was nominated for best cinematography but there were a couple external shots of the boat where the camera severely rocked back and forth. - I didn't know how to react in the awkward scene where the other cruise passengers openly laughed at them. It wasn't funny or realistic. - The kids' acting is awful and takes you right out of the movie. - Cary Grant had some kind of a huge knot on his forehead at the beginning of the movie. - The caricatures of other nationalities at the beginning of the movie really fall flat.
Tell Me You Love Me (2007)
This show misses the boat
People who want to watch soft porn (read: men) are going to be annoyed by the arguing especially when it short circuits an otherwise hot sex scene. The people who like watching dramas about relationship problems (read: women) are going to be turned off by the graphic nature of the sex. The people who like to watch old people having sex (read: no one) are going to love some parts.
The show does exhibit a high level of realism in the sex scenes and the dialogue and obviously has good writers. The arguments seem to flow naturally and you can see how they evolve into pettiness or futility or resolution. However I've had these arguments and derive no voyeuristic thrill from watching someone else have them except to fleetingly admire the writers' craft as I change the channel.
Add to all of this the most unrealistic and smug characters - the therapist and her husband - and I feel as if I'll gain no insights by watching the couples resolve their issues through therapy. Perhaps the writers are too young to write an older couple as realistically, but it is jarring to cut to them after watching an otherwise meticulously realistic show.